Staples closing Madison store

Madison's Staples office supply store will close later this year as the nationwide chain focuses on online sales.

The final day of operation for the Clifty Drive location is scheduled for Sept. 13. The store manager confirmed the closing date, but deferred all other comments to the Staples public relations department. A corporate spokesman could not be reached after several attempts.

Trevor Crafton, director of the Madison Area Chamber of Commerce, said he spoke with the store manager after the decision was made.

"It's certainly unfortunate," Crafton said.

Staples employs 17 people.

"Those people will have their jobs dispersed to different locations or simply lose their job," Crafton said.

In addition to Madison, the Greensburg and Seymour locations will also be closed.

Staples is the nation's largest office-supply retailer. The company announced in May that up to 225 stores in North America would be closed by the end of 2015. In a release, the company said nearly 50 percent of its sales are made online.

"Right now, Staples HQ just cannot keep up with the demand that Amazon puts on other business," Crafton said. "And it forces business to alter their business models."

Beyond being an office supply store, Crafton said Staples was also a drop-off point for many UPS deliveries, a service used by many small businesses.

Crafton said another business has an opportunity to take on that role.

Crafton said he is optimistic about the future of the 28,000-square foot building.

"I know the city and the landlord see the importance of not having that building vacant for very long," Crafton said. "You can do a lot of stuff with 28,000 square feet and great visibility. So the opportunities are really endless with that big of a warehouse and that location."